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‘Game of Thrones’ Live Stream: How to Watch Episode 2 Online for Free

How to watch Game of Thrones online for free. (Twitter/HBO PR)

If you’re looking for a live stream of tonight’s Game of Thrones episode, called “Home,” there are a handful of free options, regardless of whether you have cable. Some viewers reported problems with the livestreaming last week, but HBO is saying they will have those problems fixed this time around. The second episode of season six will air at 9 p.m. Eastern tonight, May 1, on HBO, with After the Thrones available on Monday. After the bomb that was dropped at the end of the premiere about Melisandre, you’ll probably want to watch tonight’s episode as close to live as possible. We’ll likely also learn more about the Sandworms, what’s happening to Daenerys, and maybe even get another epic scene with Brienne and Sansa.

Here’s a rundown of the streaming options available for tonight to watch the second episode of season six:


If You Have a Cable or Satellite Subscription That Includes HBO

If you have a cable or satellite package that includes HBO, you can watch the second episode for free via HBO Go. It’s a streaming service that’s included with a regular HBO cable subscription. You’ll need your cable or satellite log-in information to access the service.

On a computer, go to HBOGO.com and choose “Sign in” in the upper righthand corner. On mobile devices, open the HBO GO app and choose “sign in.” You’ll need to choose your TV provider, then enter your username and password for your  TV account. If this is your first time using the service, you’ll need to create an HBO Go ID.

HBO Go is available on these supported devices, including Apple TV, Apple mobile devices, Amazon Fire, Android mobile devices, Android TV, computers, Chromecast, Playstation 3 & 4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, TiVO, and Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Last week, thousands of users reported trouble using HBO Go and authenticating their log-in. HBO Go reported that it was looking into the problem and resolved them around halfway through the show. Users from Latin America especially experienced problems. If you experience problems tonight, check HBO Go’s Twitter feed for error reports.


If You Don’t Have a Cable or Satellite Subscription & You’re Only Interested in ‘Game of Thrones’ & Other HBO Programming

If you’re in the United States and you don’t have a cable or satellite subscription that includes HBO, you can use the HBO NOW service. It costs $14.99 per month, but it has a free one-month trial. This means that if you sign up this weekend or if you signed up last weekend, you can still watch tonight’s episode free on trial.

Quite a few people had problems with HBO NOW last week. Some users ended up in a frustrating signup loop, where they kept getting prompted to restart their subscription to watch the show, even though they were already signed in. If you get this error tonight, you can troubleshoot it here. According to HBO NOW’s Twitter page, the problems were resolved last week and, hopefully, won’t be occurring again.

Signing up for HBO NOW is a little complicated, so you’ll want to follow these steps:

1. First Subscribe to HBO NOW

HBO NOW is a standalone streaming-only service, but there are only two ways to sign up, depending on if you want to sign up via a mobile device or on your computer. Signing up through a mobile device is easier.

If you want to sign up through a mobile or TV device, you’ll need to download the HBO NOW app:

  • If you have an iPhone or Apple device, get the app on the App Store here.
  • For Android, the app can be downloaded at this link.
  • For Amazon devices like Fire, download from the Amazon App store at this link.
  • For Apple TV, the app is already installed and should be on your home screen.
  • For Roku, add the HBO Now channel through the channel store.
  • For Samsung Smart TVs, search for HBO Now on the Smart Hub.
  • For Xbox One or Xbox 360, download HBO Now in the Apps window.

If you need more details on where to go to download the app, visit the page here. To find out if your specific mobile or TV device is supported, please visit the webpage here.

If you want to sign up for HBO NOW on your computer:

Contact a participating Internet or mobile provider about purchasing a subscription. You can buy a subscription from Optimum here in the northeastern U.S., or through Verizon here.

After signing up, you’ll need to complete an HBO NOW profile. On your computer, start here, choose your provider, and sign-in with the username or password from your Internet or mobile account. From a phone or tablet, download the app here, open the app, tap “link to your new subscription,” and choose your provider. Sign in with your username and password from your Internet or mobile provider and complete the registration.

If you want to watch HBO NOW on a computer, you’ll need either Mac OS 10.6 or later or Windows Vista or later. Supported browsers include Chrome 37 or later, Firefox 31 or later, Internet Explorer 10 or later, and Safari 7 or later.


If You Don’t Have a Cable or Satellite Subscription & You’re Interested in Additional Channels Beyond HBO

Users without cable or satellite access to HBO, but who are interested in watching HBO and other channels, can watch “Home” — and all other HBO programming — through Sling TV, an online streaming service that provides access to a handful of channels for a monthly fee. The service’s Best of Live TV Package, which includes channels ranging from ESPN to CNN to AMC, costs $20 per month, but you’ll have to select the HBO add-on, which is an extra $15 per month. But you can watch a week’s worth of episodes for free via Sling’s free 7-day trial. If you keep Sling beyond the trial, you’ll have to pay $35 a month — $20 for the Best of Live TV package and $15 for the HBO add-on.

To sign up for Sling, follow these steps:

1. Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the trial period ends, you will not be charged.

2. When you sign up, you’ll be prompted to select Sling’s standard Best of Live TV package, which costs $20 per month. You’ll also have the option to add extra packages, all of which come with a monthly fee but are included in the free trial. If you’re primarily interested in watching the Game of Thrones, you’ll need to select the HBO add-on.

3. Download the Sling desktop app, and navigate over to HBO to watch the second episode of season six.

With an App:

Users with a subscription to Sling TV can watch it on the Sling app, which you can download for free in the App store or the Google Play store.

There’s also a Sling app for Roku, Chromecast, Nexus player, ZTE and XBox One. Click here for a full list of compatible devices.

Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the 7-day trial period ends, you will not be charged.


Episode Preview for ‘Home’

To prepare for tonight’s episode, “Home,” please see take our polls about Jon Snow’s fate and the next character to die. You might also be interested in the very best maps of Westeros, so you can keep track of what’s happening during the show and where the characters are. In the preview for “Home,” below, it looks like we’ll be seeing a confrontation between Jaime and High Sparrow, a possible appearance from Drogon (we hope!), and an interesting development with a character that we haven’t seen in a long time:


To get prepared for tonight’s episode, please see these stories:

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Tonight is episode two of Game of Thrones, called "Home." Here's how to watch it online for free, as it airs, whether you have cable or not.